


Boy Queen

by alltheshipping



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Misgendering, Trans Male Character, but i'll tag for it anyways for my fellow trans men, he gets called a queen but, that's because it's a hive term not because of transphobia, this BEE is TRANS and there's NOTHING you can do about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27757555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alltheshipping/pseuds/alltheshipping
Summary: Hive Knight has the duty to protect queen Vespa, and take on her responsibilities until she comes back. It's a simple job, until one day it's not.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	Boy Queen

Being controlled by the Light isn’t that bad, if he’s being honest. It’s better than the alternative, really.  
They’ve always been a hive mind, who’s only purpose is to eat nectar, make honey and protect their territory. None of that has changed since queen Vespa’s departure and, although the infection has made his workers more aggressive and less productive, almost everything feels the same, if a bit lonelier.  
(He wonders when she’s going to wake up, and why she felt the need to sleep for so long, now that there’s so much to do).

The Light works nicely as a replacement for the queen, and she’s a much better fit than he could ever be. Not that he hasn’t tried to lead, of course- he’s fought tooth and nail since he was just a larva to squash any competition, despite his lack of flight. He’s the strongest in the Hive, and all of his fellow bees respect him enough to let him in charge of their slumbering matriarch. Of all the others, he’s the obvious choice for a successor.  
Despite all this, taking the place of queen Vespa sounds like too tall an order for him to manage. He’s a knight, the best one both in his home and the surrounding area, but he’s neither a leader nor a father. Due to the infection, the former monarch didn’t have time to teach him about directing the workers or tending to the eggs. It’s only thanks to the Light making them more feral, more in tune with their instincts, that the colony is pushing through. So, for the time being, he’s happy to let her take charge.

After all, he trusts that the queen will be able to get everything under control as soon as she gets back.

Until that day, though, he’s content with mating with the drones in her place and taking care of the new larvae, helping the Hive grow. Someday, when he’s ready, he might be just as strong and smart as Vespa. It’s all he aspires to be.

\--

A strange bug enters the Hive not too long after the infection takes full control, wielding a nail with all the confidence of a skilled warrior. They are strong despite their size, taking down soldiers and guardians with shocking speed, exploring their entire colony without issue. If he hadn’t sworn to protect the queen, he’d have gone after them the second they entered his territory, but he must stay in place.  
It doesn’t take long for the attacker to get to his room, anyway. They vaguely remind him of the Pale King’s spawn, Hornet, and how she trained with Vespa at a young age once her mother was gone. This one, however, doesn’t seem quite as friendly. Their empty, hollow eyes follow his every move, ready to attack.

He lunges forward, needle in hand, calling his children and sisters to let them know what he’s dealing with. His enemy is fast, and they appear fearless, barely flinching when struck and not reacting at all when he appears behind them. It's almost as if they expected to be fighting against someone like him. Perhaps there's a spy in the colony?  
Well, he doesn't exactly have time to think about that now, as the battle continues. That short nail his adversary keeps throwing around is sturdier than it looks, and packs quite a punch.  
Not to mention that, whatever it is that's carrying it (the closer he gets to the being, the less like a bug he appears), they don't seem to show any mercy, killing all the hivelings he summons with little thought.

It pains him to see his grubs be slaughtered so carelessly, but grief can't overtake him now, not when the queen needs his aid.

Despite his worries, he jumps forward yet again, holding his needle tightly as he tries to think of a strategy to take the enemy down. They seem to be getting more aggressive as the fight progresses, and each hit rips off pieces of his fur, sometimes even opening up small wounds that bleed orange.  
(He's sure hemolymph isn't supposed to look like that, but the Light tells him not to worry, so he doesn't worry and goes back to work).  
In a situation such as this, most bugs would retreat to safety, putting their lives before their loyalty. However, bees aren't like most bugs and, as queen, he can't let the Hive die. Against his better judgment, he attempts to charge against the intruder yet again. This time, his enemy readies their nail, and swiftly aims it towards his thorax, penetrating the exoskeleton without issue.

There's so much orange liquid that it takes him a moment to realize it's coming from his body, even as his legs give out and his arms get coated with it. It's almost like honey, but darker, and it smells rancid, like something rotten. Like a corpse.

The enemy in front of him just stands there, eyes inexpressive. They don't look sorry, not at all, but it does seem like they're finished for now. As if killing him was their only goal.  
Or the queen. This is her sleep chamber, after all. He's been staying here to protect her, and he couldn't complete that simple task. And now, they're both going to be slaughtered by whatever creature just infiltrated their colony. He's a failure as a son, as a knight, and as a queen.  
So, as a last action, he kneels down in front of her sleeping figure, wishing that she'll forgive him even though he doesn't deserve it.

If the Light really is a replacement for Vespa, he can only hope that She will choose one of his eggs to become the new queen, so the hive can live on. His children don't deserve any less.

**Author's Note:**

> Me: I wonder why the Hive Knight is different from the other bees in the Hive? Like, is there a lore reason or is it just because they didn't want a samey boss?
> 
> My brain at 2AM: Perhaps he's the queen-in-training of the Hive? After all, various bosses in the game are the leaders of other enemies (Traitor Lord, Vengefly King) or the parents of such enemies (Flukemarm, Gruz Mother). In his case, he would be both the leader and the father.
> 
> Me: :O


End file.
